Delivery mechanism for signature-stitching machines



'March 18, 1930. E. w. BELLUCHE DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR SIGNATURE STITCHING MACHINES Filed lay 4, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Muth 18, 1930. E, w, BELLUCHE 1,750,622

DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR SIGNATURE STITCHING MACHINES Filed lay 4, 192e 2 Sheets-Sheet l2 Patented Mar. 18, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELMEB W. BELLUCI-IE, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO CHRISTENSEN MACHINE COMPANY, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR SIGNATURE-STITCHING MACHINES Application led May 4, 1928.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in signature stitching machines and has as an object to provide a delivery mechanism therefor which will be mechanically positive in operation to insure the prompt and proper discharge of com- It is a further object of this Vinvention to provide an improved delivery mechanism of the character described in which the completed books are fed along a saddle member to a position at which their apexes are substantially tangentia-lly disposed with respect to a plurality of oscillating discs to be elevated by a tucker blade for engagement between the periphery of the discs and gripper fingers, being then carried by the discs through approximately 280 degrees and discharged onto a delivery table.

A still further object of this invention resides in the provision of an improved delivery mechanism of the character described having means for advancing a completed book on a delivery table after being deposited thereon to clear the path for the next completed book.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come Within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, I lhave illustrated one complete example of the physical embodiment of my invention constructed according to the best mode I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Serial No. 275,222.

Figure 1 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in section, looking at the discharge or delivery end 0f a signature stitching machine;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary, detail view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of the means for transmitting the reciprocal movement of the drive pitman to the oscillatory movement of the delivery roll;

Figure 3 is a view of the delivery mechanism, partly in side elevation and partly in section, taken through Figure l on the plane of the line 3 3; and

Figure 4 is an enlarged, detail view, partly in section and partly in elevation, taken through Figure 3 on the plane of the line 4 4 Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, 5 designates a main frame or base of a stitching machine one end of which communicates with a signature collecting conveyer or other like mechanism from which collected groups of signatures are presented to a substantially inverted V-shaped saddle 6. Other conveying mechanism. not shown, advances the collected groups of signatures along the saddle to suitable stitching mechanism, not shown, mounted from an arm 7 secured to the main frame 5, and after the groups have been stitched the completed books are advanced along the saddle 6 to the delivery end 8 of the stitcher now about to be described.

-Inasmuch as the specific construction of the collecting, conveying and stitching mechanisms forms no part of the present invening 19 which is supported from the shaft 14 at opposite sides of the pinion 17, the shaft being rotatable therein. The housing 19 has an elongated slide or guide 2O disposed tangentially with respect to the enlargement 18 and in communication therewith, to slidah-ly receive the upper end 21 of a pitman 22 having a gear rack 3 formed at its upper end which meshes with a pinion gear 17, the lower end of the pitman being eccentrically connected as at 24, with a wheel or disc 25 fixed to one end of a cam shaft 26 journaled in the frame 5.

The shaft 26 receives its drive from a suitable motor, not shown, connected with a main drive pulley 27 by a belt or other means, not shown, the pulley being mounted on a drive shaft 28 transversely journaled in the frame 5 and connected wit-h the shaft 26 through a train of gears 29.

The shaft 14 mounts a delivery roll consisting of a plurality of discs 30 splined or otherwise secured to the shaft and maintained against longitudinal movement by set screws or other means 31, the peripheries of the discs having aligned recesses 32 through which a gripper finger operating shaft 33 passes, the shaft having its ends eccentrically journaled in the endmost discs as at 35. Longitudinal movement of the shaft 33 is restrained by collars 36 and 37 fixed thereto and engaging the inner surfaces of the discs 34, the collar 37 having an arm 38 extended therefrom which passes through a recess 40 in the disc to position its outer end substantially in alignment with the outer face` of the disc, a roller 39 being carried by the free end of arm 38 to track on a gripper linger actuating cam 41 fixed to the standard 10.

Fixed to the shaft 33 within the recesses 32 of each disc 36 is a series of collar mem bers 42 which are made fast to the shaft by screws or other means 43 and have spaced lateral projections 44 by which gripper fingers 45 are actuated. The gripper fingers cooperate with the discs 30 and have their inner ends freely journaled on the shaft 33 and their outer ends 46 curved outwardly and extended over the periphery of the discs at one side of the recesses 32 as illustrated in Figure 4, being at all times urged to engage the periphery of the discs by a contractile spring 47 connected with the gripper fingers, as at 48, and with the discs, as at 49. Each gripper finger has its inner end bifurcated to receive its respective collar 42, the closed portion 50 of the finger extending between the projections 44 of the collar but being of less width than the space between the projections to permit a degree of movement independent of the collars.

The mechanism is so timed that at the instant a completed book, designated as 51, comes to rest in position for delivery, the delivery roll reaches the position depicted in Figure 1 with the roller 39 engaging t-he high point 52 of the cam 41 to raise the gripper fingers 45 olf their' respective discs, at which time a tucker blade 53 reciprocally mounted at the apex of the saddle 6 is projected upwardly to engage the book 51 at its fold and insert the same between the 'discs 30 and the gripper lingers. During the next few degrees of rotation of the delivery roll in a clockwise direction with respect to Figure 1, the roller 39 rides off of the high spot of the cam 41 permitting the springs 47 to bring the ends 46 of the gripper lingers against the discs 30 to clamp the book therebetween.

The tucker blade 53 is carried by an angular member 54 mounted on a pair of rods 55 guided in projections 56 extended from the A base 57 of the saddle 6 and is normally yieldably urged upwardly by expansile springs 58 coiled about the rods 55 and confined be- Y tween a transverse bar 59 fixed to the rods and a guide member 60 in which the lower ends of the rods are guided. The tucker blade is normally held in its retracted position within the saddle 6 by a lever 61 which :7s medi'ally pivoted from the frame 5, as at 62, and has one end 63 engaging the transverse member 59 and its other end provided with a roller 64 which tracks on a cam 65 fixed to the shaft 26, the springs 58 moving the tucker blade to the position illustrated in Figure 1 when the roller 64 rides into the depression 66 of its cam and being moved to retracted position as the roller rides out of the depression.

As the delivery roll completes an oscillation of approximately 280 degrees, the book carried thereby will be at the lowermost portion of the roll with its free end disposed on a delivery table 67. At this point, the roller 39 rides onto the high part 52 of the cam 41 at its other side to open the vgrippers and free the book held thereby; this being the limit of clockwise movement of the roll which now begins its oscillation in a reverse direction to complete the cycle.

At the time the grippers release the book, its open or free end rests on the delivery table 67 and the closed or stitched end thereof is deposited on a crossbar 67 the ends of f which are suitably secured to the luprights 9 and 10 with its top face provided with a series of transverse slots or grooves, to be later described.

The delivery table 67 may be of any special construction and has a plurality of sidewse spaced endless belts or tapes 68 trained about pulleys 69 at the inner end of the table and about a suitable roller (not shown) at the outer end thereof to be intermittently advanced to move the signatures deposited on the table 67 outwardly.

The rollers 69 are mounted on the shaft 15 which mounts a ratchet wheel 70 with which a ratchet or pawl 71 is engaged, the pawl being carried by a lever 72 interme'dially pivoted on the end of the shaft 15. rIhe lever 72 is oscillated on its pivot from movement .imparted to the shaft 16, which is connected with lever 7 2 through a lever 73 carried by the shaft 16, and a communicating link 74. The shaft 16 is oscillated from a cam 75 fixed to the shaft 26 with which a roller 77 carried by one arm 78 of a lever 79 engages, the lever 79 having a lateral arm 80 pivote'd to the base 5, as at 81, and the other arm 82 thereof being connected with one end 88 of a lever 84 fixed medially to the shaft 16, by a link 85, the other arm 86 of the lever 84 having one end of a spring guide rod 87 pivoted thereto. The other end of the guide rod is guided in a bearing 88 pivotally mounted from the standard 10, and expansile spring 89 being coiled about the guide rod between the pivotal bearing 88 and a collar 90 fixed to the ro'd 87 to yieldably urge the roller 77 to follow its cam.

Fixed to the shaft 16 between the pulleys 69 which are arranged in alignment with the discs 30 are a series of fly sticks 91 each of approximately V-shape with one side 92 of the V fixed to the shaft 16 and the other side 93 approximately arcuate shape and normally lying in the transverse slots or grooves of the cross-bar 67 with its extreme end directed upwardly, as at 94, the apex of the V being rounded, as at 95, and disposed outwardly of the shaft 15. When the roller 77 rides onto the high part of its cam 75, the fly sticks are moved to the dotted line position illustrated in Figure 4, and the book, which has been released, is deposited fully onto the tapes 68 of the table.

The cam 7 5 is so coordinated with the delivery roll that it moves the fly sticks quicker than the return movement of the roll removing the books out of the path of the returning grippers, the springs 89 rocking the shaft 16 and the fly sticks to their original positions as the roller 77 rides off of the high spot of the cam 75.

Guards 96 of arcuate shape partially embrace the delivery roll to restrain outward movement of the free ends of the books due to centrifugal force, the guards being adjustably mounted from a shaft 97 carried by bracket members 98 fixed to a portion of the stitcher mechanism supporting frame.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a delivery mechanism for signature stitching machines, the combination with a substantially inverted V shaped saddle member, of a delivery roll mounted with its axis substantially parallel to the saddle whereby a line drawn vertically through the apex of the saddle is tangentially disposed with respect to the circumference of the roll, of means for oscillating the delivery roll, gripper fingers carried by the delivery roll and adapted to open at each limit of movement of the roll, means for elevating a completed book from the saddle into` the gripper fingers when the delivery roll is at one limit of movement, the completed book being carried through its cycle by the delivery roll, and means for removing the completed book from the path of the delivery roll after the same reaches its other limit of movement.

2. In a delivery mechanism for signature stitching machines, the combination with a substantially inverted V shaped saddle member, of a delivery roll disposed parallel with respect to the saddle member with its periphery tangentially disposed with respect to a line drawn vertically through the apex of the saddle, a collecting table disposed outwardly of the delivery roll, means for oscillating the delivery roll, gripper fingers carried by the delivery roll and adapted to be opened at each limit of movement of the roll, one of said limits of movement being with. the gripper fingers over the apex of the saddle, means for elevating a completed book from the saddle into the gripper fingers when lthe delivery roll is at its limit of movement with the gripper fingers disposed thereover, the completed book being carried through its cycle by the delivery roll, and means for removing the completed book onto the collecting table out of the path of the delivery roll after the same has reached its other limit of movement.

3. In a signature stitching machine and a delivery mechanism, a delivery roll comprising an oscillating shaft, a series of spaced disc members fixed to the shaft and having aligned peripheral recesses, end members fixed to the shaft, a countershaft having its ends journaled in the end members and passed through the aligned recesses of the central discs, gripper fingers carried by said countershaft and cooperating with the peripheries of the disc members to clamp books therebetween, and means operable on said countershaft as the disc members reach their limits of oscillatory movement to open the gripper fingers.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

ELMER W. BELLUCHE. 

